182 articles from FRIDAY 9.4.2021

Children less infectious than adults with SARS-CoV-2

Children may not be as infectious in spreading SARS-CoV-2 to others as previously thought, according to new University of Manitoba-led research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2021/04/09/cmaj.210263.

CO2 mitigation on Earth and magnesium civilization on Mars

Researchers employed magnesium to convert CO2 to methane, methanol and formic acid, using water as the sole hydrogen source. The conversion of CO2 (or air) took place within a few minutes at ambient temperature and pressure. Bubble the air in water with a pinch of magnesium and we will get fuel (methane, hydrogen etc). This process could potentially be the first step towards a magnesium-driven...

Computer model fosters potential improvements to 'bionic eye' technology

Researchers developed an experimentally validated advanced computer model that reproduces the shapes and positions of millions of nerve cells in the eye, as well as the physical and networking properties associated with them. Focusing on models of nerve cells that transmit visual information from the eye to the brain, the researchers identified ways to potentially increase clarity and grant color...

COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent global need to control air pollution

In a new commentary reviewing current research on the potential relationships among pollution, respiratory viruses and health disparities, physician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) dis-cuss several ways that the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent need to address the global problem of air pollution and improve respiratory health and equity worldwide.

Earth's crust mineralogy drives hotspots for intraterrestrial life

Researchers explored the distribution of biofilm communities in the continental deep subsurface. Their study highlights the presence of "hotspots" for microbial life around iron-rich minerals. A pattern which can allow us to better predict the distribution of intraterrestrial life on Earth, but that could also inform the search for extraterrestrial life in the subsurface of Mars.

Exploration of ocean currents beneath the 'Doomsday Glacier'

For the first time, researchers have been able to obtain data from underneath Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier". They find that the supply of warm water to the glacier is larger than previously thought, triggering concerns of faster melting and accelerating ice flow.

Fighting dementia with play

Cognitive motor training helps in the fight against Alzheimer's and dementia, as demonstrated for the first time in a study by an international team of researchers with ETH Zurich involvement. The training platform used was developed by an ETH spin-off.

Genes and immune cells predict immunotherapy success in bladder cancer

Sets of genes associated with resistance to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer of the bladder have been identified and validated by researchers at Mount Sinai. In a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, the team uncovered gene signatures representing adaptive immunity and pro-tumorigenic inflammation that were responsible for sensitivity or resistance to immune...

Geography, job risk should be factors in prioritizing SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations

When setting SARS-CoV-2 vaccine priorities, Canada should take a more nuanced approach that considers geographic and occupational risk exposures, as 75% of Canadian adults have at least 1 risk factor for severe COVID-19, argues an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2021/04/09/cmaj.210529.

Interleukin-33 involved in immunity to Sars-CoV-2

Early in the Corona pandemic, a team of immunologists from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg and physicians from the University of Freiburg Medical Center joined forces to learn more about immunity in people recovering from Corona infections. The study revealed a yet unknown involvement of Interleukin 33, an important alarm-signal, when immune cells get exposed...

Masculine traits linked to better parenting for some dads

In some men, having traditional masculine characteristics such as competitiveness and adventurousness was linked to being better fathers to infants, a new study found. But the men in this study - highly educated and from dual-earner couples - combined those stereotypically masculine traits with the belief that they should be nurturing, highly involved fathers.

Metabolic changes in fat tissue in obesity associated with adverse health effects

A twin study recently completed at the University of Helsinki indicates that the machinery responsible for energy handling in fat tissue is working poorly in obesity. In the study, a clear reduction was seen in the activity of mitochondrial genes in obesity in fat tissue, while similar genome-level change in muscle mitochondria was minor. A link with adverse health effects was identified in the...